Reel World

Cajun Invasion in the Land of Enchantment—Washed out of Louisiana, the feature film The Flock is pulling up stakes and moving to New Mexico. The project will bring crew members with it from Louisiana and will employ an additional 72 New Mexicans.

“It is important in this time of need to support our friends in the Gulf states and help wherever we can,” announced Gov. Bill Richardson last week. “That is why we have joined forces with the film technicians' union to offer a helping hand to the film business in Louisiana and its displaced crew members.”

In an unusual but generous movie, the film technicians' union IATSE Local 480 has accepted all of the displaced Louisiana union members into its ranks, allowing them to work in the State of New Mexico as “local hire.” The New Mexico Film Office is compiling a list of New Mexicans willing to provide short-term housing for crew members, and Local 480 is coordinating efforts with local productions that are in need of crew.

The Flock stars Richard Gere and Claire Danes. The plot focusses on a hypervigilant federal agent (Gere), who while training his young female replacement (Danes), must track down a missing girl who he is convinced is connected to a paroled sex offender he is investigating. The production will shoot for 40 days in New Mexico, starting on Nov. 14.

Europeans Annex City Different—Gov. Bill Richardson, busy bee that he was last week, also announced that another feature film will begin shooting in our state beginning in November. Funny Farm is said to be the first European collaboration to shoot in New Mexico. Funds for the movie will come from Germany, the United Kingdom and New Mexico. The production will be shot almost entirely at the Vista Clara Resort and Spa in Galisteo and is expected to employ some 70 New Mexicans.

Funny Farm (I think that title was already taken, but whatever) will be directed by Irish indie filmmaker Mary McGuckian and will feature Kathy Bates, Malcolm McDowell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rupert Graves. The ensemble cast story finds a wide variety of politicians, business people and regular folks stuck under the same roof at a high-end rehab facility for assorted addictions. The film will shoot 26 days in New Mexico and three days in London.